Review - NOW. HERE. THIS. Cast Album from Ghostlight Records

Thomas Merton, a poet and Catholic philosopher, developed a strong appreciation for Zen near the end of his short life. He told a friend about his key to happiness: the phrase "Now, Here, This." Not a command to "listen to this," but three distinct words as reminders:

• Now: this exact moment in time, NOT the past not future plans, but this tangible experience.
•  Here: (NOT hear) This place in space, not where we might go or where we've been or where we want to be, but the place you actually are.
• This: the thing we're doing, the senses we're using, not imagination but reality.

Now Here This - a way to live that will let us experience and truly appreciate life (while we have it.)

That philosophy is the title to a musical that played Off-Broadway in 2012, and now has a cast album released by Ghostlight Records. It comes across as a musical group-therapy session, moving from angst-ridden memories and quirky stories about personal insecurities towards a new-ageish acceptance of the choices made, experiencing and embracing the present. It’s certainly cheaper than group therapy, and probably funnier. 

The writers – Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, and Susan Blackwell – and their collaborator Heidi Blickinstaff not only star in the show, they essentially play themselves searching out this meaning-of-life thing. This isn’t their first time doing a super-meta musical; the even quirkier [title of show] was about them creating a show for the New York Musical Theatre Festival and its subsequent off-Broadway run.

That device is back, this time as friends reflecting on their individual histories. Maybe it’s because I know these four people – not personally, but I feel I met them in [title of show]. Subsequently, they’ve put their personalities on the web through video podcasts, Twitter feeds, blogs, and even a documentary on recording this cast album, although the latter is more a wink and thank-you to the fans who put up the money to record the album through a Kickstarter online campaign. The video confirmed that although the four people in Now. Here. This. have the personalities and quirky sense of humor of the real Jeff, Hunter, Heidi and Susan, they are meant to be any of the millions of slightly off-kilter creative types, the kind of people who have busy minds, fragments of ideas floating all the time, imagining what-ifs. There are a lot of us out here, and Now. Here. This. grabs our attention, at least for the moment.

The best song of the bunch is “More Life” not only because it’s catchy but for setting up those big questions. What are we missing by not being present at this moment, in this place. Only a couple of the songs address that ‘here and now’ utopia; the majority of the music points out the road blocks, mostly as journeys from the past.

Jeff remembers the discovery that he can dazzle any school bullies into thinking he’s funny, instead of thinking he’s gay, which is a social death sentence in elementary school. Heidi is a budding diva craving attention from a busy family. Susan fills her life with activities to avoid a house that could have been on Hoarders. It doesn’t matter if the stories are fully real or, as Hollywood puts it, “Inspired by a true story.”  The performances come though the recording, especially the twists that crack the masks and gives the character some self-realization, (predictable as it might be). A big exception is Hunter’s story/song about hiding in an imagined life with his ideal boyfriend, which is so over-the-top random and confused that it seems more of a desperate attempt at imagination rather than the practiced imaginary world of so many who create a world to disappear into. It comes across like “My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada” from Avenue Q, but a lot less raunchy.

A theme in the show – and in life – is the desire for STUFF. A belief that getting that thing you desire will unlock the key to happiness. It’s present in the scene-setter “More Life,” and repeats in the all-too-true number “Members Only.” The title refers both to exclusive clubs AND a popular 1980s jacket brand. It acknowledges the teenage rite of passage of finding the RIGHT clothing to get accepted by the popular people. It’s amusing while being painfully real. “Then Comes You” is a sweet song of friendship, and the truism that when you accept yourself, it’s easier for others to accept you as well.

As soon as the songs begin drifting into the land of the new-age spiritual retreat, the quartet yanks us back into an odd story of a group sea excursion, sung in the style of an old Irish sailing ballad, with Jeff and Susan getting seasick mid-song. There’s a wee moral to the tale of the “Wilbert S. Pound” -- when life upends you, sulking and being miserable makes it worse, but finding SOMETHING to appreciate makes the time sail by. Pollyanna? Perhaps. That’s where these songs come up short. Listening to the complete album feels like a weekend retreat where the group leaves refreshed in their purpose and commitment, before the reality of life crushes in. As Heidi sings the sweet “This Time,” which suggests a person sets her own rules, chooses her own path, it sounds like such an easy thing to do that the sentiment dissolves into fluff.

The ‘documentary’ suggested that the collaborators were continuing to develop the show. If so, I’d like to see them add the struggles of experiencing the ‘Now Here This’ through life’s constant interruptions – interruptions that the reclusive monk Thomas Merton didn’t have to consider, such as the partnership of marriage, raising a family, paying the bills. For example, since this CD came out shortly before Christmas, it took a few days fits and starts to listen to it and write this review. As Stephen Sondheim put it in Into the Woods, “If life were only ‘moments,’ then you’d never know you had one.” The only song that comes close to exploring that is the unfortunately-titled song “That Makes Me Hot” – which attempts to show when experiencing the Now Here and This is EMBARRASSING. That’s not the same thing.

Hey, this is a musical, not an answer to the meaning of life. It’s supposed to make you leave wanting more. And there are some satisfying moments from the cast album, despite some crazy pop culture references, such as rhyming the came Clue with actor “Gerard Depardeiu.” The song I appreciate most is “Golden Palace,” which convinces me we shouldn’t set our heroes on a pedestal beyond our reach. Instead, have enough faith in ourselves and our own potential that we can mingle with our heroes at the level we’re at now.

So if you’re looking for a profound musical experience, this CD isn’t it. If you’re looking for lovely background music, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a good time with some unique songs that want to be listened to and thought about, this might be it.

Ranking on the Art, Humor, and Entertainment scales:

Art: middle to low. The words stumble through the music, instead of both working together. But the thoughts are worth considering.

Humor: Middle to high. It’s closer to slapstick comedy, with probably too many 1980s pop culture references (Wikipedia will probably have a few visits to the Ed Grimley entry) but several moments are laugh-out-loud outrageous.

Entertainment Factor: High. Listening to some of Jeff Bowen’s wordy phrases is hard work, but the joy of the performance comes through. It’s not only the way the four voices blend, it’s the way their personalities blend. This CD will be treasured by students and young adults who are themselves on the creative and quirky side, feeling their way in this odds-beating existence called “life.”